How to Puree Baby Food at Home and Save Money

Are you looking to save a few dollars, but still give your baby a healthy lifestyle? The answer is here—puree your baby food. One of the greatest joys for women is the opportunity to be a mother. It’s brand new. It’s exciting. It’s a learning experience. And it’s the job that never ends. But we’ll take it. When choosing to care for our children there is so much to consider. What diapers to choose? Should we cloth diaper or buy disposable diapers? What type of food should we feed our kids? Should they eat rice cereal or oat cereal? We even get down to whether we should buy premade pureed food for our kids or should we just puree it ourselves. It can’t be that difficult, right? It’s not difficult, but it does take time, preparation and organization. Many mothers are turning to more natural ways to care for their children. Nowadays, you just can’t trust what’s in the food on the shelves of your grocery store. Peace of mind is what you need and you can have that by beginning to puree your child’s baby food. There is a learning curve, but with a little research and talking to other moms that do it, you’ll have the confidence you need to complete this task before you know. But if you don’t have a mommy circle, no worries, here is a step by step guide to get you started and on the way to being Super Mom!

Step 1: Make a menu: Yes, your baby needs a menu. Decide for the month, what types of foods you would like to feed your baby. Be sure to check to make sure you aren’t introducing foods to your child before their little precious bodies are able to handle them. Use organic foods in order to stay away from pesticides and genetically modified foods.

Step 3: Buy little ice trays or you can purchase freezer bags. This is a very economical way to go. No need to go buy facing baby food trays or bags. You can use very common kitchen items that will keep you within your budget and serve the same purpose.

Step 2: Pre-cook your food. You can boil your carrots on a stove top until tender. You can also cook leafy greens or cabbage in olive oil or coconut oil in a sauté pan and steam them. You may boil potatoes and bake sweet potatoes. Cook all of your food until it is tender. No need to season it for your baby’s palate is very sensitive. If you want to add some flavor to your vegetables, you can crockpot, or boil some chicken. Remove the chicken and use the broth as a natural way to introduce flavor to your baby’s food. Natural broths are definitely a better choice than canned broth. Canned broth has too much sodium. The preparation getting your baby’s food ready can take quite some time. Yes, it is time consuming, but it is worth it. So push through and prepare all of your veggies, fruits, starches, and meats. Remember, your baby doesn’t need a lot, they need nutrition. It’s all about the nutrition.

Once you have cooked up all of the food you would like to give your baby, puree the food in a blender. Most blenders have a puree setting. Again, you can add a little broth to it if you would like to give it more flavor or more of a slightly loose consistency, or if you would like to stretch the meal a bit. A Magic bullet works just fine as well. They even sell blenders specifically made for pureeing baby food. It’s all up to you to decide. But if you already have a blender at home, why not use it? It works beautifully.

Step 4: Place all of your food in freezer bags. Label and date your bagged pureed baby food. Baby food can remain in the freezer for up to three months. Ice cube trays are the perfect portion for your little one. When they get older, of course the portions will increase.

Pureeing baby food is not difficult when you have developed a method that works for you. Consider asking some of your friends who buy baby jar food to save their baby jars. You can reuse those jars for when you take the pureed baby food out of the freezer. Place the pureed baby food in the jar. Seal the top and voila, your baby’s meal is ready. Baby food can last in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours. So be mindful of how much food you unfreeze and store in your refrigerator. Watch your baby’s eating patterns and this will help you conserve food as well. Pureeing your own baby food at home saves you money and it’s healthier for your child. You can even get creative with the different types of meals that you puree too.

Don’t forget about pureeing fruit. Bananas are the easiest to puree and you can combine it with just about any other food. You can mix banana and avocado together. You can even make a banana rice pudding. Just remember to puree, puree, puree.

Oatmeal is another awesome meal to plan for your child. Boil the old fashioned oats on the stove until the oatmeal is the desired consistency that you would like. Puree it in a blender to get a smoother consistency. Add almond milk, breast milk, or whatever kind of milk you are giving your child. Adding the milk helps with the texture. You can even add cinnamon to the oatmeal for some natural spice. Puree some apples and mix well. There you have it—apple cinnamon oatmeal.

Your baby will enjoy the home cooked meals that you prepare for him/her. It gives them a new experience, and think, at least you know what’s in the meals that your kid eats. All because mommy made it!